Medieval Centuries Online Remastered HD Deluxe Definitive Edition
by Brendanjoke
Summary: A complete rewrite of Medieval Centuries Online. Sora Tatsuya. To himself, a misunderstood loner whose wisdom is unmatched. To the world, an introverted, snarky little shit who's hard to get along with. One day, the long-awaited sequel to the Medieval Saga was released, a VRMMORPG based off the cult classic Sword Art Online. Now, we both know just how well that sounds, don't we?
1. Some Prologue or smth Idk

Y'know that feeling you get when you want to sneeze?

That compressed tingling sensation pestering your nostrils. The achoo out of a dozen that's just too stubborn to be huffed out making your face contort into a circus clown of horrors?

You might say, "Oh wow, I do indeed experience such trivial misfortune recurring ever not so often in my life, and it sure indeed does rustle my jimmies shall I be so unlucky to incur its wrath. This person is able to deduce and be aware of such a mild annoyance, therefore he is relatable and as such, I am able to properly connect and immerse myself in sync with his well-being."

Or you could have also said, "Maybe, I don't care, make your point, please."

And to that, I say - Fair enough, you made it this far, I suppose I could elaborate a bit. I mean, what else am I gonna do?

Well, this comparison is roughly in line for a topic that's near and dear to my little soulless, decaying heart.

In an era of rapidly advancing technological discoveries, near limitless possibilities broaden the world's eye and many anticipated what would come next. Planetary colonization? Synthetic life? Artificial organs? Probabilities eventually would become reality in a new tomorrow, and as stated, all were keen for the big breakthrough that would change all that we knew.

Anyway, fast forward to twenty twenty-six and we got virtual reality now. It's used for games... and things. So that's pretty cool.

My headgear laid on the bedside table, as pristine as it was when I first unboxed it three years ago, a result of some tender nighttime polishing that was always dutifully followed.

Yet despite having had it for so long in my possession, never, and I mean never once had I played a game on the damn thing. Many games already existed for the virtual platform since its inception, but no, I never touched them, for they were never the reason I took those stupid part-time jobs for. Though the occasional skimpily clad waifu-bait game does tempt the joystick down under (If you know what I'm sayin'), what dignity I had left will ultimately repressed these urges.

Why? For what mad reason have I strained my thin delicate figure, have yucky sweat dribbling down my inky black hair, and also deprived my hazel eyes of the animes it yearned for so desperately? What foolish purpose justified such heinous torture?

It was that stupid sneeze.

It started small. An article on a news site, a work in development, spearheaded by a prestigious gaming studio. Gradually it would culminate. A press conference at the following year's E3 expo, unveiling a sequel to the long-dormant "Medieval Saga" in the form of a VRMMORPG expressing intent to replicate the world of the classic anime "Sword Art Online".

Now I wasn't much for MMO's, but if you wanted to take me hostage, all you'd gotta do is give me even a sliver of a glimpse of anything related to SAO and boom, I'm yours. So you bet I gobbled that shit up. Poor taste, I hear you say? Pssssh, I hardly even know her.

Having had made a sizeable community enter a state of pure euphoria and ecstasy, they finished us off with a date of its release, affirming the iron grip they had on all of us.

The date in question, the moment many awaited, breath bated, underwear moistened, to be able to get their hands on for an experience of a lifetime, when was it, you ask? Three years ago.

Three long years of the sneeze building up.

Almost achoo number one was a change in developers. Worries were apparent but quickly were quelled and appeased by a reasonable release date and a promise of polish.

Almost achoo número dos touted a different story entirely. Rewrites in the programming pushed that date out the front door and told it never to come back or it'll get a restraining order and a sexual assault charge. No release date was given, no further news to assure.

I could go on and on, rambling about the many almost-sneezes that plagued throughout development but I won't.

Eventually, the game saw the light of the day.

Though it had since lost the masses, the devoted few they've retained went and faithfully purchased a copy on the day of its release and played it on the exact same day. All except for little ol' me.

Almost achoo number five million and one was me, having my internet down for two weeks, hence resulting in a network drought so dreadful, I might actually have to go for counseling as a result of severe PTSD.

As you can see, the sneeze culminated, stifled beyond limits, verging past mere eruption. It was ready to blow, and blow it will.

ninety-seven percent, ninety-eight percent, ninety-nine percent... hundred.

ACHOO!

An ever glorious beacon in the murky gloom set ablaze the darkness to be cast forth, enlightening me to the throne of the ascended, beckoning me towards a paradise belatedly received.

By that I mean, the notification icon popped up on my computer telling me that the game was finished installing and that I can play it now.

The afternoon's sun merciless glare blazing through the window glazed the monitor, there, a reflective shine stared back at me. Hand clenched with his head held high, tears welling from his sunken eyes, briefly, he thought of the trials of the past, all the endeavors that lead him here to this point, before, with a triumphant smile and a clap of his hands, he spoke out loud, "Fuckin' finally... holy hell, that took forever."

My chair reeled back as I stood, hastily swooping up the headgear to my hands. Eagerness had the setting-up done faster than you can say, "Get a life" and before I knew it, my body laid rested on the bed, headgear and all equipped.

This was it. My first step into the virtual world, the first glimpse of a world one I will embrace... two weeks later than everyone else. Should I tell Minatsu to not disturb me? That I won't be coming down for dinner or for the rest of my life for that matter? Nah, too lazy to get up.

Okay, the two words. The open sesame to trump all open sesames.

"Link Start!"

There was a brief period of nothingness shortly after uttering those words and then, light. White, bright, a strain to the eyes. Where's the brightness slider, geez.

A sensationless sensation... standing in a void, feeling nothing and everything simultaneously. I know that makes no sense, but drifting through endless white isn't something you usually can describe. Bear with me.

Before long, a small prompt appeared.

_**Please insert your username**_

Guess they're going for the minimalistic approach when it comes to character creation. Not even any BGM. Welp, I'm gonna be here for a while.

And indeed, as I typed away a moniker befitting a man of my caliber, the prompt was whisked away and another came in its place. Then another, and another, another one, another one, another one, another one.

And another one.

You got your usual "select your gender" and "customize your appearance" mumbo-jumbo, which in all honesty I got bored off rather quick, and instead prompted for the option of basing off real-life appearance.

After a final "are you sure?" I was finally greeted with something new. The barren white all around faded to a black, consuming sight and my being. A deep resonating boom echoed throughout the dark space... allowing an ominous dread to fester.

**In a world...**

Oh my god, its a cutscene. a stupid, piece of bad word, cussing, swearing, cutscene. That scared the hell out of me.

**-A time not long before man...**

Ah man, I have to sit through this now. Where the shit is the option to skip? Where's the skip button? Oi, how do I skip?

**-Dawn of a new age, an age of prosperity, an age of peace...**

An age of where is the skip button so help me God, I just want to play the game.

Alright for the sake of everyone's well being, I'll omit the absolute dreariness I just went through trying to play the game. No one wants to know how I figured out how to swing a sword or jump in the air or how I cramped my finger navigating the menu system. So I'll just summarize it by saying it took 'Centuries'.

See what I did there? No? Kay then.

Finally, jumping over the final tutorial hurdle, I took my first real steps into the virtualistic dreamworld paradise I've so sought after. And let it be known, as a cascading sunset painted gold the infinite blue sky harboring a flurry of birds soaring up high, as wind blew breeze at townsfolk NPCs responding with almost lifelike precision. Yes, let it be known, as I conquer and stand atop the hundredth floor, smiling at another sunset: That I did not regret it one bit.

But as many of you already know, not everything would go as planned...


	2. The Day The Server Stood Still

**Floor 1, Day 1**

_This little piggy went to the market._

_This little piggy stayed at home._

Does anyone remember that nursery rhyme? Well, I'm sure the rest of the lyrics goes like:

This little piggy became roast beef.

This little piggy had gone.

And this little piggy cried "wee, wee, wee," as I slaughtered its family one by one with a very ineffective wooden sword for no other reason than to get some of that sweet EXP. That little piggy died a little later. Sorry, little piggy. I shall remember you as I discard all your useless drops when I'm done here.

The outskirts of the starting town had little in terms of perilous encounters. I mean the most danger I experienced was dropping a little too high off a cliff and suffering fall damage. I never realized how tedious starting out would actually be. I wouldn't bore you with the details, but I'd just say that I've been here all but four hours already and I'm killing defenseless pigs. With a stupid inefficient weapon, no less. Make of that what you will.

I'd like a new weapon please, thank you very much.

Why not slimes, you ask?

Simple. Cause other people are there camping their spawn already. I don't like that. I'm vewy vewy shy boy. I talk no good.

I understand the flawless logic at display here. 'Getting an MMO but not interacting with players? Do you also play single player games for the rich multiplayer features as well?".

It's not as if I despise people. Heck no, what do you take me for? I wouldn't be able to get those side jobs if basic communications were an alien concept to me. But I'm sure some would understand if I say being lonely and wanting to be alone are two very different things. I'm simply just the latter.

So guess how I was when I spied a fellow adventurer wandering towards my vicinity in the pale moonlight?

I minded my own business, beating a pig to zero health, thinking the stranger, whom I gathered was a guy, would just pass on by. Surprising thing is that he didn't. He stood and watch as I mercilessly boink boinked the pig till it oink oink'ed no more. He a sadist or something?

Great, now there's this awkward silence. Thanks, whoever you are.

"You know, there are slimes if you want to farm, right?" He finally spoke.

As I spun to face his way, I thought of many things. Virtual paradise entails all you could desire, but the 'Be who you want to be' portion though, is a rather intricate aspect. I don't know, I just never clicked with that. Whomever it is you've interacted are both real and fake simultaneously. Beyond the rectangular border of a computer screen, I'm fine. In VR though, eeeehhh...

"Yeah. I get that." I responded and continued.

There was a plain old look about him. Might have been a beginner as well. Leather strapped around his body in the flimsiest defense possible. No helmet means his short black hair swayed with twilight's breeze. Youthful looking, my age possibly, sixteen, seventeen. I didn't have time to wonder for he just cracked a smirk.

"Then?" He asked, gesturing a hand to the scene in front of him: Me, sword swinging at a scampering pig and failing bad, fatigue rapidly creeping in.

"I guess I like pig meat more than slime. A lot more nutrients too, as you can plainly see," I huffed and puffed like a tired wolf, "I'm gonna need it."

That smirk evolved to a full-on smile. "Name's Sukuinote. As you can probably tell by my username."

"Nice to meet you," I replied, stooping to the grass finally, heaving hard. "My name is... whatever the hell is... written above me."

Squinty-eyed, read it he did. "King underscore Sora."

"Can you not read the underscore, please?"

"How very modest of you."

I stood back to my feet. "Well, I do say "name yourself for the life you want"."

"King, really? Of what?"

Okay, now that smile feels like it's mocking me. Is he mocking me?

"Well, I'm not exactly royalty so hmm, let's think. I don't know man, the game, maybe?"

He gave this funny look, before he spoke again, "I saw a level forty-five a while back. Probably heading to floor thirty right about now."

"Yeah, and?"

"Then a little later, I found this level one smacking pigs about. Wanted to be king of the game, he said."

"Hey, you're not so big yourself." I looked up for a moment before addressing him again, "Level 3? If I can count your level with one hand, you're not exactly in the place to be mocking me."

A hearty chuckle split that smile of his, then he ended the laughter with a sigh. Shrugging shoulders, he began to trudge away. Finally. Now I can go back to exterminating the server of pigs.

"Walk with me." I hear him call a fair distance afar from my own.

Does he really expect me to walk off in the darkness after him? PVP is a thing. I know that. He knows that. Came the dawn of gaming, it has been a thing. Not to mention, I've racked up quite a bit of uncooked meat to sell and I've no interest losing it in an ambush at the dead of night.

You could say, my pride is at 'steak' here. Hehehe.

So I ignored him. But, like all things in my life, it still didn't work. He called out again, "Come on, I'll make it worth your while here. Walk for a bit."

I sheathed my sword and pondered. Actually, I pretended to ponder, maybe If I feigned consideration he would finally buzz off. To emphasize the point, I began stroking a non-existent beard and, frowning, sounded a deep 'hmmmmm'. I'd say 'no' in a second.

"I'll give you my iron sword."

"Deal." I said at once and never looked back as I trodded after him.

You're safe for now, piggies. Who knew your savior manifested as a guy. But mark my words well! I will be back to claim my EXP. I swear it.

* * *

The dungeon tower stood far across the boundless awe-inspiring horizon, stretching to imperceptible highs, prominent still even amidst the dark of night. A colossal intimidation for ones starting anew, entering meant the amalgamation of all encounters so far, culminating finally as a single entity, the floor boss.

Basically the bouncer for the floor. Only after beating it, are you able to access the floor above, only to then rinse and repeat till you get to the hundredth. I don't know why I'm explaining this. You all know this already. Probably because apart from the plains of greens that consumed the landscape, it was the only thing notable in view.

Sukuinote, from what I could gather, was a pretty laid-back dude. He walked, he talked, demeanor always conveying an air of easement, like a caressing breeze. Contentment permeated his voice, as he yapped away and boy, did he never stop.

A variety of topics came and go from the time I left the piggy spawn to where we are now, chilling in a meadow overlooking the tower. Whatever you can think of, he talked about it.

Weapons, enemies, bosses, farming methods, party formations, etc etc...

Currently, the topic gauging his interest is something a little more in view.

"Think you'd be burnt out by the time you reached the thirtieth or maybe fiftieth floor?"

Usually the tactic I find work best is responding with an indifferent grunt or shrug and he'll always interpret it the way he wants. So I did it here as well.

"I know I would. I'd probably move on to something else. You the same?"

I shrugged again.

"Yeah. First impressions so far, not looking too good. You've seen the reviews?"

This time, I added a frown to go with the shrug. A two for one package. Great deal.

"Not looking too good from what I can tell. The game's getting panned by critics. Said once the novelty wears off, ain't much to it. Pretty shocking, considering they had so long to make the game. Makes you wonder what the developers were actually doing."

Now I haven't actually seen or read any reviews. I tend to flock to the first-hand experience ordeal and judge for myself. But if what he said is true, then that's upsetting because I toiled hard for this nervegear and if all I got to show for it is a fruitless byproduct, I'd be considerably miffed.

So I entertained a doubtful mindset, only to have my doubts be doubted. Because from what I can see so far: A lack of variation in sceneries, barren terrain, structures, and towns a rarity to find. Heck, I just realized that there isn't anything attacking us. We're in an open environment and no mobs are in sight. Yeah, the game is not making a good case for itself.

But a merciful one as I am, God bless me, I offered a chance at redemption.

"They can always patch it. It might turn out good then."

No sooner had the words left my mouth, came a sudden figure zooming past in the sky, like a shooting star. Vanishing to the left as soon as it came from the right. Only it had a hud, resembled a person, and as it whizzed on by, screamed, "Whooooooooooo!"

Needless to say, several questions scaled the tip of my tongue and I turned to my companion, who seemed not the least bit surprised as I am.

"Was that a player just now?"

He nodded his head. "Reddit's a magical place. Must have figured out how to launch himself using a shield. Even physics wants nothing to do with this game."

"Can they fix that?"

"Can they?" He said, chuckling. "Been two weeks already, that's a pretty big window and if they still haven't patched it, then I don't know what to tell you."

Another one streaked on by, probably his friend, moments later, a final birdman followed after them. Wow, that's broken as all hell. Genuinely, I'm thunderstruck, but the surprises kept on coming on.

Sukuinote tossed an item on my lap. It was heavy, very. Enough to lurch me upright.

"Almost forgot." He said.

The surface glinted the moonlight, the sharpened edges looked a danger even to the slightest touch. Handling with the firmest grip I could muster, I could tell, holy shit it was heavier than I thought. No exaggeration, I grunted, I heaved and I 'hnnngh!' my best, just to have it barely even a second in my hands before it slackened to the grass with a muffled thud, sapping along a lot of exerted effort.

My stamina is practically depleted. What kind of sword is this?

Again, I turn to Sukuinote for answers and saw the same sword sheathed firmly on his back.

"You had a spare?"

"Nah, I duplicated it." He answered.

I can't even. If it's that easy to dupe the system, just how broken is this game?

"You have to be at least level seventy-five just to equip it, by the way."

That's when the confusion settled in. My eyes knew the discrepancy, switching to and fro from his level displayed above his head to the sword he lugged about all this time. My question needn't be stated, I'm sure you all know what it is.

Rather than answering, he branched completely off-topic, standing up as he did, "Did you know it's free weekend right now?"

That I knew. It was on full display on their website till nothing else was visible. Guess I should have taken that as a precursor to what a flop this was shaping up to be.

"Server's on its highest since launch." He continued, walking forward slight, "Approximately 45,967 on this server alone."

"Okay... that's rather precise." I said, unable to follow, "You an avid fan or something?"

"Not exactly."

For once, he stopped talking. He stood, I sat, silent, affirmed further in a chilled breeze, ushering chance to examine closely the sword he's lumped onto me. My fingers lightly grazed the blade's surface, materializing the stats screen with a double tap.

I skimmed a glance at first, then I read it properly. And I read it again, and again. Now I'm rendered speechless.

This plain, simple iron sword had properties that eclipse even those I've read online. Then there was its description, the teller of its true nature.

It was a developer item.

An inaccessible weapon, an unattainable drop. No one but a developer should have this. Which begs the question - Why does he? I looked up at him, only to find he had watched the entire process unfold. He stared, then he spoke.

"Keep that sword. You're gonna need it."

Slowly, a suspicion started to unravel. A blinking red light of intuition. I hope to God I am wrong, I really do hope right now I just have the wildest imagination possible, as I asked him, "Why?"

But like all things in my life, like buttery smooth clockwork, it didn't work.

"In roughly two hours from now, I will be trapping all 45,967 players in this server."

Okay.

DId I expect him to say that? Among other countless hypothetical answers I thought he would say, that one there ranked in the top ten. Panic? Worry? Scared? I felt none of that. How could I? All I am now is a very confused guy staring at a very confusing man. And even then I couldn't establish what he just said.

"Say that again."

"You heard me."

"Say it, damn it."

"In roughly two hours, I will be trapping all 45,967 players in this server."

I exhaled the biggest breath I could ever have exhaled in my life.

"I really had hoped you just misspoke earlier."

There was almost a genuine remorse, almost, when he spoke again, "Sorry."

Denial was a fine shield. Throughout life I found that I would use it in times of tense matches. It wasn't really something to brag about, but it was a shield that kept me saner than most, and protected my pride in times of need.

_It was lag man, come on, y'know that's bullshit. _

_I had to yawn alright? I couldn't see just now._

_Oh so sorry, I fat fingered alt+f4, we'll play another time._

Looks like there's another one to add to the list.

"You're joking, right? How'd ya expect me to believe something like that?"

"You don't have to really. I ain't forcing you. If it makes you feel any better, I'm staying here too."

It really doesn't.

'Let me guess, you're gonna be the last boss on the hundredth floor?"

He gave a hearty chuckle. He does that a lot. An innocent carefree laugh... it's almost as if he isn't about to commit a crime against humanity.

"I see you've been keeping up with the classics." He said, smiling slight, "good on you."

"You know, I kinda get your whole gimmick with this title is to replicate SAO." I stood up from the grass, leveling with his gaze, "But you're going way over beyond literal now."

The over-encumbering piece of equipment made its presence more apparent as my muscles strained under its heft. My eyes fell to it.

"Why the sword?"

"Beat me and you win, right? That's how it usually goes." He walked closer and unsheathed his own. "Weapons like these ones, developer items, I made it so only they can actually harm me. Regular weapons just won't cut it."

"You mean there's more?"

"C'mon Sora, you don't actually expect to kill me by yourself? I'm a raid boss here. I have standards to maintain."

Shields do break, eventually.

It did now.

Kill.

Never has a word echoed so profoundly in my mind. I say it every day, I say it in the morning, in the evening, night. With a smile, with an agitated frown, it felt weightless, so easy. I've trivialized it, spouted it millions of times, so why does it affect me now?

Do you know what's amusing? If you had told me a couple of hours ago that playing this game would have been a very bad time, I'd have been very skeptical and would have laughed - probably tell you to piss off while I'm at it. Now, I'm not so sure what to think. All I wanted was to farm piggies, to sell these drops, to level up and to have fun.

From afar surely this all looked typical. Two dudes chilling in a meadow, standing around with their swords out, having fun. With context, it became all the more sinister.

"So what's stopping me from defeating you now, right here?" I asked the boy before me.

Simple and plain, flimsy and feeble, him and I both. But only he was smiling as our sword pressed firm in our grips.

Panic? It's flooding my system every second.

Worry? It's all I was right then.

Scared? Obviously, yes. Who wouldn't be?

"Nothing." He said.

Angry? You bet your ass I was.

Impulsive, frantic, mad. Either or all could be used as a reason for charging forward. In the fleeting moments before contact, I braced. Past its criteria, past the struggle and the strain - despite my levels, my stats. I swung the sword.

A ferocious spark bursted out the two jagged edges, the initial impact as swords clashed resulted in a deafening clangor echoing far. The force sent shockwaves reverberating through my arms. Convulsing, shaking, under the sheer might. I felt my legs give, and I hunched slightly.

Constricted breath, tightened muscles, every ounce of effort just to maintain this posture.

Beyond the crossed blades, showed just the opposite. The sword effortlessly in his grasp, standing lax, almost comically, he scoffed.

"You didn't think that was actually going to work, did you?"

"Worth… a… shot."

A winded breath tumbled everything down, the sword, my efforts, and myself to my knees, heaving frantically for air. His boots were mere inches from my face. Was he going to step on me now, make me grovel and plead as he towered above?

Or would he, instead, holster his weapon, sit back down, stare at me, and place a hand on my shoulder?

I gotta admit, I did not expect the latter.

"Maybe another time, yeah?" He said, as if resolving a mere civil dispute.

I brushed that virtual hand off me. "Two hours, right? Then I'll just log out right now. I don't have to beat you."

"That's also an option."

As I stood back up, so did he. And I met his gaze once more, never once a hint of malice harboring beneath, still so aloof, so casual.

"You're not gonna stop me?" I asked.

He met my question with a bemused smirk, "No, why would I?"

Honestly, after hearing that, I began to question my own sanity.

"Trapping people don't usually begin with letting them escape." I said, still in disbelief.

"Nope, doesn't matter to me." He said, and raised his hands to his sides, "Go, I won't stop you."

Another nightly breeze drifted the ambiance to silence. A single arm rose up, slowly, inching to the open air. Fingers clasped in a closed fist, exempting two, the ones required for the one specific action, outstretched and still.

My eyes flickered to his once more, and he nudged forward, affirming his doubtful claim.

This better work…

I swiped downwards, hastily.

A chimed sounded out and the menu screen instantly materialized before me. It's murky white incandescent glow, almost angelic, conformed in a small rectangular box teeming with black texts and borders. But as much as I would like to more appreciate such a perfect replica, I had something much more important on the mind.

Flicking upwards, scrolling downwards. Combing every single option with the slightest glance, I sought and I scoured till my heart leaped to my throat once I've reached the bottom catalogue. There it was, all the way at the end.

**Logout**

One word. Six letters. Enough to stir me with such a flood of emotions. The only other word that could do that is "Cancel", and that depended on the context. Relief, happiness, whatever other word that can describe joy, all of that, I'm feeling right here.

I reached for it, knowing in solace it'll be all over soon, that I could go back, put this all behind me and move on to something else. Probably never play another VRMMO in my life. I was close to it, so close - but he had to talk.

"Forty-five thousand is a lot of players."

I stalled my movement and looked back at him, and saw, finally, shadowed by the glow of the menu screen, underneath his blackened eyes, evil lurking within them.

"That's a lot of families, don't you think?"

If that was a flood of emotions before, it couldn't compare anymore, it absolutely paled to the absolute whirlwind of one single feeling.

It's none of my business, it's not my problem - but it was there. It's out of my hands, I won't be able to handle it, I tell myself over and over again but goddamn, it was still there. All because of him. Now I'm pissed.

"Don't. Don't do that." I said.

He merely frowned. "Do what?"

"Find someone else. Talk to someone else. Not me."

"There is no one else, there's only you, Sora." He said, walking a circle all around, "Just think. How many people can you save in just a short two hours?"

The logout button pulsed faintly a dim glimmer, standing by, waiting.

"They won't believe me. Who the hell would believe something like this?"

Another hand fell on my shoulder, he patted. "Then I guess you'll just have to do your best."

It was that feeling that rooted me still, kept faltering mended resolves to leave, had me staring eternally at my freedom, but never reaching for it. Why? Why am I feeling it? I don't get it. It's not my fault.

The feeling must have spilled to the exterior perhaps, for he stepped back, and kept a distance.

"You don't have to, you know. It's just a choice. Your choice." He said, turning and walking away. "In the end, I have no say in what you choose do. But I do hope I see you again."

No matter how I reasoned or thought of the consequences, it was futile. The pathway to town laid just metres away. A long, long walk back. Yet just how long would I take? Would I make it? What if no one believed me? What if I lost track of time? What if I couldn't logout myself?

Yet no amounts of "Ifs" could overrule the guilt if I didn't do a thing.

Guilt. It was consuming me. It was unjust, I didn't deserve this feeling, this responsibility. No apparent reason, it was just there. And guilt begets anger, anger begets frustration.

Frustration turned my eyes to his ambling figure. There he went, abandoning me in this cesspool of morality. What an ass.

I shouted.

"You call yourself a developer?! No developer would ever do this! You're just trash! Absolute shit, you hear me?! You fuck!"

He stopped and spun back. I took one last look at him, his simple demeanor, his carefree attitude… I saw his smile, widening, as it vanished, as he vanished, dissipating into literal thin air, with one last statement that resounded across the plains.

"Who said I was a developer?"

**End.**

* * *

**Author's Note**: Not sure how to start this, or if anybody is even reading this, but oh well, I hope whoever finds this little story here enjoys it as much as I did writing it. I'll try to maintain a consistent chapter upload but knowing me, that's damn near impossible. Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you stick around.

Also big thanks to fellow human and fanfic writer Sherlock D Holmes for his editing prowess and advice. I look forward to working with you more.


	3. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

I never realized just how insignificant my existence was, how small a part I actually played in this world of wandering billions. There exists a crevice, a meager gap in the ecosystem of society. That, there is my humble abode. I was the smallest, most indistinct being on earth and I never realized this.

Not until I started using my words. Not until I actually had something to say.

The click-clatter of keys, the icy chill of the air conditioning, the pure white glow from my monitor contrasting the darkness of night. There I was, wallowing in my obscurity, hoping beyond hope someone would come and take even the slightest peek at my crevice.

One hour. An hour of clicking, an hour of typing, an hour of posting. Posts after posts after posts, websites tabbed in the dozen. Any forum, any discussion board, anywhere, anyplace, I did what I could.

One hour of wasted effort.

I was so caught up in the weight of urgency, so frantic over the wick of burning time, never once did I stop to wonder how these posts would be viewed in the eyes of another.

And alas, I paid the price for it.

A rambling hater they called me. A troll with too much free time. It's either one or the other. Déjà vu came in written form on a trip back to previous posts on other websites. People are relentless with their assumption. I would know. I tried speaking the contrary, attempting to validate my claims.

_April fools was three months ago, dude._

Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Like how far up is your head up your ass to think someone would write all these warnings for fun? Seriously.

Despite it all, they held firm to their assumptions of me and went on with their lives. Overlooked and scorned, eventually, I too grew tired when everything I did amounted to irrelevancy.

They peeked the crevice and saw me. Then they scoffed and walked away. I was tired of it, I really was.

In hindsight, I should have seen this coming from a mile away.

My desk was no stranger to abuse, nor was my fist. But I don't ever recall bashing them together so hard that everything atop said desk toppled over.

Well, at least I toppled a record.

Among the items strewn and slanted, laid a sloping headgear, still as pristine as ever, whirring a silent mechanical melody, panel lights a steady pulsating green. Hadn't deactivated it since I left that world. Found that I couldn't, or maybe shouldn't… not an hour ago, not even now.

I remembered every night, the last thing in sight before slumber took over would be my headgear perched perfectly atop the shelf, just waiting, dreaming of the day I'd finally use it. Now that moment has come and gone and I can barely even stand looking at it for just a second before a completely nauseating feeling would stir my insides to a pitfall of jelly.

Where there was once excitement, now existed worry. Where there was once enthusiasm, now existed dread.

Where there was once a boy who knew nothing at all, now there was a boy who knew too much, way too much. And if it wasn't for his arrogance, he would have already admitted that he was scared, very scared.

Scared of failing, scared of trying, and most of all, scared that when the destined moment inevitably arrives, that he would forever blame himself for it.

That boy sure has got himself into such an unenviable predicament, I'm sure glad I ain't him.

Yeah, I so fucking wish.

I exhaled a sigh. I find myself doing a lot of that this past hour. Practically collapsing on my bed did little subsiding the trepidation growing with every wasted second. I don't even wanna see the world anymore. I just want to stay here, my face buried in white satin sheets and not think about anything anymore.

But even that small moment of placidity was withheld from me.

A faint click of a door handle followed by the squeaking of hinges. Then a small voice sounded through the ambiance of misery.

"Um... Sora?"

I didn't want to get up, so I replied with a muffle. "Yeah?"

"Dinner's... ready."

Of course, it is. But how the hell can I eat at a time like this?

"Should… should I tell mom you're not hungry?"

Unsure, hesitant, nervous, and tittering on a stutter. I could almost sense the timidness wafting towards me. Even more when I finally turned an eye towards him.

For being only four years my junior, Minatsu sure looked a lot younger than what you'd initially perceived. His constant demeanor doesn't help his case. Every part of his body was closer than it should be like he was constantly hugging himself; A downcast gaze, rarely meeting yours. I didn't know what it was about the floor that's so compelling, but if I ever do find out, I'll let you know.

The most prominent features he possessed should be his bright blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Whatever it is about that combination, it seems many people can't seem to resist it, resulting in a lot of pinched bruised cheeks.

Even then, he was in his usual stance, visibly unsure of himself or what he just waltz into. I mean to his credit, I'd be mildly cautious too seeing a physical imprint on my brother's desk, only to find him sulking face first on his bed. Doesn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Fatigued and dispirited as I was, I still decided to bless him with an answer.

"Just tell her I'll be down shortly."

Minatsu nodded his head, looking rather relieved that whatever happened to me beforehand didn't result in me yelling at him to buzz off.

"Were… were you playing just now?" He asked, spotting the headgear on standby with peaked interest.

I followed his spark of enthusiasm. "Yes…"

"Are you going to play again?"

Blinking. Pausing. Hesitating. I spoke.

"N-no… I don't think I will."

"Oh, I see." He sounded rather disappointed.

Usually, by now, he would have walked away. Lingering around for longer than a minute was an unprecedented event in our lives, but it seems even the status-quo longed to be crumbled in this day of unprecedented events.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

He mustered a breath. "After dinner… do you mind coming to my room for a moment?"

Ew, gay Minatsu, gay. But like hell, I can say that. In all seriousness though, our spectrum of interaction only ranged from "Breakfast's ready" to "Dinner's ready", any others besides that were an absolute rarity.

"Huh? What for?"

"I have a surprise to show you… if you don't mind... that is."

Immediately a suspicion came rousing, and I made sure to him it was apparent, "Did she tell you to do something?"

That sent him to a fluster, eyes visibly flinching to meet mine. "N-no… um, Mom has nothing to do with it, I promise. I… I just want to show you something nice."

"Really? Cause she tends to have a lot to do with things she has nothing to do with."

"I'm being honest this time, I swear."

Minatsu's the worst liar. Live with him long enough and it's as if his thoughts and intents were inscribed permanently in his eyes and his mannerisms. No dishonesty was happening here. None this time, at least.

I let the silent fester, before answering again.

"I'll think about it."

Lax shoulders, raised head, glowing eyes. Yup, just like an open book.

"Okay," Minatsu said, reaching for the door handle, "I'll go tell mom you'll be down soon."

The clack of a closed door was my cue to resume doing my best ostrich impersonation. Though even that too wasn't exactly authentic. Ostriches don't think. Ostriches don't worry. I did. Therefore, I wasn't an ostrich, no matter how much I want to be right then.

There was an indent of frustration that remained on the bed when I finally got up. Look close enough, you could just barely discern the eyes, a gouge where a nose had pressed in. It was pathetic looking.

If it had been someone else if it hadn't been my burden to bear, just how well would they fare? I doubt they'd go about it as badly as I have. Probably would have succeeded in preventing a notable amount of unjustified anguishes by now rather than idling, crestfallen, contemplating futilely on "what ifs" that'll never resolve anything.

Yeah, if only it was someone else, if only I could pass these reins onto someone else… maybe someone well-known, whom many held in high regard. Someone reveling in the limelight, someone influential… someone… someone…

That's an idea. A semblance, a small portion of one, but an idea nonetheless. The idea was brewing and it's not stopping. It took hold of me and I found myself once again, plopped in a seat, basking in the glow of my monitor.

One more website. One last place to check.

This idea hinged on a single factor being present. A single thread staving off its collapse among the rubble. She better be live-streaming or I swear to God, I'm gonna throw my brand new headset at the wall. Misfortune had pelted me long enough, Lady Luck's merciless scorn had to dwindle at some point, and it had.

She was streaming.

Something swelled inside me then, a hefty enough swell to compress the infestation that plagued me. The apprehension, the anxiety, it didn't feel as imposing as it did before.

Was it courage, confidence?

Maybe stupidity?

Whatever the swelling was, it played a significant role suppressing the hesitance to put the headgear back on. Still, I managed, and I laid back on the bed, the illuminated ceiling solely in sight.

I let the headgear's foamy interior envelop me. It was soft, cozy, caressing the slightest fidget made, like the stroke of a gentle loving hand, imploring you to stay, to indulge in its comfort, to embrace the many things it had to offer.

Such a design that hides well a sinister truth.

A truth that I knew. A truth I was gonna show.

The swell erupted, surfacing through the depths of indecision, it sounded aloud.

"Link Start!"

* * *

When I next opened my eyes, I found I was already moving, running. The crackling crunch of tall grass under my heavy strides swiftly transitioned to the coarse surface of a trodden dirt path.

The damn monolith of a weapon I was so honorably bestowed upon I buried deep in my inventory. Since when? Just then. When I decided to do so. And I did do done it done quick.

I had no confidence in my stamina, absolute zero faith. There wasn't doubt fatigue would come barging in on me like an earthquake to a burial. To hell with it though, to hell with concerns, time was an extravagant luxury I didn't have no more.

Three guesses who's to blame for that. Three guesses who's trying to reconcile for that.

65,000 concurrent viewers watching her. I hadn't a clue percentage-wise how many players are watching her stream in-game but it's safe to assume word of mouth would eventually cover the rest for me.

Her stream I had opened in a minuscule rectangular border at the top right of my HUD. The frenetic bobbing of my head meant I wasn't able to enjoy the finer details of her stream, yet just discernible enough to garner a guess on where she might be.

Up ahead, a gargantuan tower amplified in size as I grew closer. Stream-sniping at its finest, folks. Watch how the amateur does it.

Speed was at a gradual decline. Less than forty-five minutes. I maintain running. A sharp stitch in the chest conveyed a warning of my limits. I ignored it. Fatigue had finally come, like a leech on a wound. It dripped sweat, it constricted the lungs, it began admonishing my efforts. Didn't care, kept running, each overtly perpetual step on the seemingly endless stretch of road, like a treadmill of time, slowly ticking away the minutes, the seconds.

The rustled whistling of passing wind would slowly diminished, outdid by a rampant gasping that also went disregarded. But it did make me wonder how strenuous physical activities in such a place even works. Does my body recognize the effort? Placebo effect, maybe? I swear, I better get out here looking absolutely fresh or I'd scream injustice. We all know I deserve it.

Then, finally, the inevitable happened - I collapsed. Wheezing away the impending explosion in my virtual lungs. I turned over to face the starry sky, a much-needed intermission, or else I might actually die before I could do anything.

Nevermind the steppings of a dozen passing me on both sides. Nevermind the weird and frankly, quite rude stares of other players walking about. Nevermind some of their hushed remarks, nevermind how I look right then. The open entrance of the dungeon tower emitted a chilly wind brushing the top of my head. I made it.

Break time's over. I got up, glancing once at the stream and eyed down the entryway. A soaring construct of stone and more stone. Expansive would be an understatement to describe it, even a viewpoint judged solely from the exterior would derive almost scaleless surroundings. I read an article once, supposedly a floor's dungeon consisted of even smaller floors that connect to a spiral staircase joining in the middle. Meaning there could potentially be over seventy or so rooms in an entire dungeon, spanning across a multitude of smaller floors inside the floor itself.

Ultimately, also meaning that if you would, for some reason or another, enter intending on finding a certain somebody, it'd be like trying to find a player that plays a healer.

Thirty minutes left. I stepped in. Deeper, and deeper, crossing paths with other liken individuals entering and leaving. It's surprisingly crowded here. But that was just another clue if the stream is anything to go by, so far, only one other person in the stream can be heard apart from her. She was someplace isolated, closed off from the majority. Where?

More players came into view. Level 3s, 5s, sometimes 7s, even encountered one watching the stream leaning against a pillar further in. So many people in one place, so many contented looks, smiling faces... in half hour's time, to simply dissipate. I have to hurry.

I took larger strides, I cranked my head more occasionally, I paid utmost attention to the stream for a landmark. Nothing. Neither here nor there. I was also nearing the boundary where hostile mobs would start spawning. If I get killed now the plan goes bye-bye.

Eventually, I reached the spiral staircase, interlinking it was a cross-section of branching paths. Apparently, someone had the brilliant idea to convert this diverging point to a gathering hub for parties because not a single space was left unoccupied. So many people in one place. There were kids, there were teens, there were adults, they were mixed, they were intermingling - it was all very claustrophobic.

I squeezed on through the chatter and leisure, reaching the foot of the stairs. Some of them were clearly lacking in manners, their voices were practically bouncing across the walls, echoes even.

Echoes... voices... stream.

Another idea implanted itself. One lacking any shred of shame but doused extensively with boldness. Suffice it to say, boldness is the last thing you'd call me, like seriously. Am I seriously going to do this? Have I finally reached the point of desperation where no other options were viable?

Don't answer that question. I know already, shut up.

I breathed in the musty air, the air overflowing with the joy, the bliss of other players. I took it all in, all that I could gather until I couldn't anymore. Then I let it all out.

"HEEEEYYYYYYYYYY!"

The shout overpowered every single voice. It reverberated, it echoed, it drew attention. A silence fell, one that roused every eye in the vicinity to focus onto me. I felt them all, like a thousand prickling needles stabbing my body. It took everything to ignore those goddamn stares, it took everything to focus my eyes on the stream with such intangible pressure permeating the atmosphere.

In the agonizing seconds that followed, another echo sounded, a tiny faint shout. One barely hearable - she clearly didn't hear it, but I did. Even through the compression of video playback, there was no mistaking my voice in there.

My embarrassment wasn't for naught, after all. With that in mind, I ran up to the next floor, already mustering another breath to be vocalized.

"HALLO!"

There it was again, slightly louder. I kept at it, running from place to place, zooming past the growls of goblins, the rattling bones of skeletons, screaming like a raving lunatic about the place, guided by the ever-fluctuating intensity of my voice through the many twist and turns. Up, down, left, right, left, right, up - I ran around enough pathways to input a cheat code.

Twenty minutes left.

I yelled my loudest yet. My voice had long since broken through the barrier of audibility, she had heard it at some point and had started to question it. I was getting closer.

Another skeleton as I rounded a corner, unexpected, it took a swing and hit - hard, despite it, I didn't stop to pay heed.

Level one running amok the first floor dungeon. Not the greatest combo in the world. I watched my health bar deplete to half, no more chances, another hit like that, and it'll all be over.

Urgency constricted my chest tight, the sweat that trickled down my face was mixed with exhaustion and panic; virtual, fabricated, all of it, yet the danger made it real. The fear in my next yell was real.

But then, the stream answered my call with an almost equivalent ferocity. A few steps later, I heard a voice from close, clearly annoyed.

"Seriously if I hear that screaming one more time, I'm ending the stream, clearly whoever's doing it is trolling hard."

Another voice responded to hers.

"Ignore it, he'll give it up soon, I'm sure. Idiot's probably got nothing better to do."

Okay so clearly, I did not give the best first impression. Honestly, though, I couldn't care less. I found her.

I turned the final corner with the last of my limits and there she was, a level 8, donning an armor set only available only in the deluxe edition of the game. Her avatar resembles her physical self with dark brown eyes that compliments well her long raven black hair, flowing gracefully down her slender figure. Oh yeah, there's that other guy beside her too. I don't know the other guy.

I took a few feeble steps towards them, noting well, the very suggestive looks on their faces before I collapsed on my knees in exhaustion. What an entrance, Sora, very cool.

I heard her feet shuffling towards me. "So I'm gonna garner a guess here, are you the one yelling non-stop for ten minutes straight?"

Exhaling deep, breathing hard, I stood back up and met her eyes head on. I tried to speak yet nothing was uttered. Apprehension restricted my voice - I mean, this is a top streamer here, I watched her for so long. To suddenly meet her face to face straight outta nowhere… it's a little intimidating. Not to mention, she clearly hit the golden drops in the genetical loot box draw.

Taking a breath, I tried again, finding the words towards my goal.

"A-Ayako, I need your help, I need you to help me warn people."

"Help? Warn? You screamed your head off all this way just to ask for my help?" She gave a giggle, "Could have just donated and said what you wanted there. No need to track me down like some stalker."

I felt myself go beet red. Not because she was right but because she laughed as if she was.

"No you don't understand, this is something that can't be said over by some donation text-to-speech program. I really do need your help. You gotta warn the players online, tell them to get off the-"

The other person stepped in. "Not to be rude, but you're kinda interrupting the stream here."

"Nah, the stream can wait, now I'm a little curious… not everyone who stream-stalks me asks for help afterward." Ayako said, much to the other guy's dismay.

I got tired of referring to him as "other guy" so I stole a glance at his username and felt the surprise of reading it jerk my eyebrows upwards.

"Wait, 'Ragnarok'... wait aren't you the head level designer? Jin Furukawa?" I asked.

"So you do know me." He said. "And you still interrupted the stream despite it."

Honestly, I do not know the reason for the stream or why he's so irked by my abruption. Whatever the case, having him here was a stroke of good luck, this would make it easier.

"Aw come on, Jin," said Ayako, turning towards him, "The level showcase can wait a bit. Besides, the chat also kinda wanna hear what he has to say."

There stayed a hint of displeasure when he next looked at me, grumbling, "I guess… fine then. Well? What is it you have to say that's so important?"

Head level designer, a popular streamer, an eager chatroom. It's as if the stars have aligned just for this one moment, this one opportunity. I better not waste it. I took a breath.

"We're all going to get trapped here. There's someone out there, I don't know how, but he's going to trap every single player in the game, there's like eighteen minutes before he does it though, so we still have a chance. I need your help to tell everyone, anybody, try to get them out, we need to go now before it's too late."

I paused to give them time to process, but it didn't take long before the pressure and the anxiety forced my lips agape once more.

"You need… you need like... Like a sort of forced server log out, a total server shutdown, just until the problem is fixed. Jin, you're a mod, right? Some sort of admin, can't you do something to um- I don't know- stop this from happening? Cause, you'll need to act now or else-"

"I'm going to stop you right there," said Jin, his hand stretched to an open palm, incredulity written across his face, "Trapping players? Eighteen minutes? Shutdown the serv- What the hell am I hearing?"

Ayako looked to share his sentiments, equally as befuddled, "Yeah, sounds like a bad April's fools joke to me. Except it isn't funny, and it isn't even April."

"Look, I'm telling the truth here. The hell would I scream my ass off just for a joke?" I said, feeling the scale of failure start to tilter.

"Boredom's a hell of a drug," muttered Ayako.

"Look, kid," Jin began, brows forming an impatient arch, "Good acting, great excuse for it too, but I heard it all before. You're not the first and sadly won't be the last. Some dude, unsatisfied, didn't like the game. I get it, we're doing all we can to fix it, alright? No need to ruin any others experience with it."

I seriously wanna take his assumptions and starburst stream it up his ass. Instead, I gritted my teeth, I haven't relented, not yet.

"What's good fixing it if you won't be able to leave the damn game? Look, I have no agenda, no ulterior motive. Heck, I'm barely reaching level two with a goddamn wooden sword as a-"

Interrupted. A reminder flushed away the aggravation, a trinket. My inventory screen flashed open faster than minimizing an open porn tab.

"Oh? Has the defendant procure any evidence to support his claim?" exclaim Ayako in a tone of authoritative fakery.

The iron sword materialized with a luminous white glow, but like hell I'm gonna wield that heavy lump of metal again, it dropped atop the chiseled stone at our feet, its reverberating clanging brought all eyes downwards.

"You see the stats? See its requirements? "The person who's gonna trap us gave that to me. Said we're gonna need more like that if we're gonna… if you're gonna get rid of him." I said as they both assess the sword in silence, "But you all don't have to do that, just convince everyone to leave the game. Better yet, just log us all out. Do it, and you'll be avoiding a lot of misery."

Ayako was the first to show a response, hands on her hips, face in a frown.

"So what's the verdict, Your Honor? Guilty as charged? I say five years would do him good. Hacking's never made anyone happy" She said, turning to Jin.

"I didn't hack it in!"

"Dunno, carrying a sword like that is pretty hackery if you ask me." Ayako said, pursing her lips in doubt, "Pretty cool though, I'll admit. Mind teaching me a few tricks?"

"Do I look like a cheater to you?" I said.

She raised her eyebrows, "Sure you want me to answer that?"

"I'm not a hacker!"

She lifted her finger to her lips, again with fabricated sternness, "Hush criminal scum! The matter shall be decided swiftly and justly. What say the jury, any thoughts?"

I took a brief glance at the chat.

**-GUILTY**

**-THROW HIM IN THE SLUMS**

**-WE'RE BRINGING OUT THE ELECTRIC CHAIR BOYS**

**-GUILTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY**

**-HANG THE BASTARD**

I love the internet.

Looking back up, Jin held the sword in his grasp, gaze never etching away, even as he handed it back to me.

Expectations I had at the time were more doubts, more adamant dismissals, more stubborn refusal and I was prepared to fight them all but this… he stiffly turns towards me, his eyes omitted of unwelcome displeasure, utter grim manifested in his expression, solemnly, he asked in a whisper.

"What was the name of the person who gave this to you?"

The gauntness he imposed was palpable, he knew something and he displayed it well. Something unknown to me, it only doubled the ominousness.

"His username was Sukuinote."

He simply shook his head, the fear in his eyes, resembling close to my own.

"That's impossible." He said, almost breathless.

"What the - my stream just got cut off," Ayako informed, confused, undoubtedly directing her silent inquiries at Jin.

I too was hoping for an explanation, but there wasn't time.

"That isn't a good sign. It might be happening anytime soon." I opened my menu once more, "I'm leaving now, look, just log everyone out."

Fingers inches away, my window to escape, swatted away. The menu closed, then blinding light, a strong force slammed me hard on the coarse dungeon wall, a massive pressure kept me there, my eyes finally opened.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I bellowed, hands opposing the arm against my chest.

Jin replied almost at once, "You're not leaving."

"Jin, what's going on here? Explain," said Ayako, running to our side.

He released his hold, walking steps back, and opened his menu, "None of us are leaving."

I reclaim the air that escaped me, breathing hard, "Like hell I'm staying."

"You don't have a choice." He said, typing away at the translucent white border.

Ayako finally verged the point of panic, "What the hell is going on?! Are we really going to get trapped? Answer me!"

No answer. He kept to his own.

Ayako mirrored my own confusion and mirrored my intent as well. Almost simultaneously, we opened our menus and scrolled.

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling…

Nothing.

I scrolled up, I scrolled down, again and again, and again and again, feeling the beat of my heart thunder more with each agonizing second.

It wasn't until Ayako spoke the words that I feared most that I finally accepted the reality of it all.

"Where's the logout button?!"

Fear, terror, dread, horror, panic, all towards him, everything I had swirling inside I directed at him, I screamed, the high pitch of timidity consumed my voice, I didn't care.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

He heard me, he turned, he met my eyes, I met his. It was a mistake, I made a mistake, this was a mistake. I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have tried.

He turned away, and spoke to the border of white, softly, resolutely, and submissively.

"**Attention all players… it is with deep regret to inform you all, that you are no longer allowed to leave Medieval Centuries Online. Access to the logout option has been completely prohibited, and will be and only be accessible upon completion of all one-hundred floors..."**

Each sentence, each word, each syllable he uttered, hammered my feet firmly in place, rooted, beyond stunned, only able to helplessly pay heed as he continued on; the person whom I hoped would help resolve, sealing away our fate without any hesitation.

Only Ayako could react, only she could speak out, baffled, "You're not serious. You can't just trap everyone against their will, you can't just keep us here. Someone outside will notice, someone will find out what's happening and you'll-"

"**Let it be known, it is not mine nor any of the developer's will to enforce this situation upon you. I could give a thousand sorries, a million even but that doesn't change the fact that, to be absolutely blunt: This game is no longer ours. If you die in here, you die forever. In no less than fifteen minutes, the game will restart. Everyone and everything will be reverted to their original state. Make no mistake… this is no joke… this is no event… the quicker you accept what I've said the better. Because from this point forth, you'll no longer be playing - you'll be surviving."**


	4. The Matrix Was Better

**Floor 1, Day 1**

The menu screen stared at me. I stared back at it. My fingertips hovered lightly, gently swaying in time with my breaths, never making contact but never moving away.

Between the columns of the "Advanced Settings" and "HUD Customization", a translucent bordered plaque displayed only a selection of pure white. The option redacted, the only one that mattered.

"Mattered" being the keyword. Nothing mattered anymore. I failed. I always do. Always had. I've failed countless times, for there were very many things I could never excel or even be adequate at. That's why I hated MOBAs or Battle Royales games, could never tell what the hell I was doing, and when I was actually doing good, it's only because I was being carried - hard.

It's not a good day when your comrades are being massacred one by one, screaming into their mic to stop being a retard as you hopelessly flail about trying to remember what fucking keybind you assigned the healing action to. Yes, I fail a lot, yes, I'm not the best player, but at least in those games, ultimately, when screwing up inevitably occurs, it just means you can try again.

I can't try again.

"You're angry..." Jin spoke across from me, in the same seated position as I was, inclined by the dungeon wall.

Nothing interlaced his words. No meaning at all. A simply empty statement. Who the hell gave him the right to act all mopey and shit, I sure as hell didn't, that jackass.

I turned to the menu clock. "Five minutes till we are officially trapped in here."

He nodded.

"Enough time to get us all out of here." I said, and he nodded once more. "But you won't even care to do that now, would you?"

Nodded again.

"I can't risk it."

Displeasure left with the air I exhaled, "I don't want to stay with you."

"You're staying."

"You let Ayako go off."

"That's because she wasn't chosen."

Displeasure became resentment.

"I tried to warn you and all you did was make it worse."

"You know I didn't want to."

"Oh sure, play the reluctant misunderstood hero why don't you? Want a pat on the back, job well done, right? I could write you a sign saying '_**I never wanted this**_' in bold black italic letters, that way everyone can see just how upset this situation has made you. Oh, the pity, oh, the sorrow... it's breaking my heart, I'm so sad."

It felt good, venting, discharging the negativity that has festered inside, felt extra good that I was lashing it at him. Very good.

"In fact, you know what, I believe you. Doing this must have been so hard and excruciating... I'm sure it didn't take you less than a second to decide that trapping over forty-thousand people is the best possible solution. No, I'm sure you agonized at the thought, maybe mulled it over with some coffee at the side... No, you certainly had the best intentions for all us, didn't you?"

With the silence, came his response, with the response, came his silence. Evidently he didn't want to talk, his mopey "woe-is-me" pissy attitude established that pretty clear. He'd rather leave everything shrouded, questions without answers, intents without motives.

Why trap us? Why can't you let us go? Who's this Sukuinote dude? Why are you just doing what he wants to happen? Why are you keeping me in this dungeon instead of going out where it's safest?

Silence was the answer to all of them. He avoided my gaze, opting to constantly monitor his own menu, which consisted of a lineup of additional options inaccessible through regular means, from what I can tell.

Running away would simply entail being caught, as it did last time when I first attempted to. That was the first time I've been tackled in my life and I think that's the last time I'm ever planning on being tackled ever again, especially by him. My life flashed before my eyes, there. He didn't look it, but he's quite robust for someone looking to be approaching his late-thirties.

Hints of aging white littered his short brown hair groomed so formally. His gaunt look accentuated the wrinkles atop his forehead, his habit of squinting his eyes and stroking his chin made the absence of his usual glasses and beard combo from the real world apparent. It's no wonder I didn't recognize him at first.

"They're not here," He spoke, distress reinforced on his face, "Why aren't they here?"

He finally met my gaze with a confused expression and slow blinking.

"Are you the only one?" He said.

I gave him confusion of my own, "If you're gonna speak in riddles, forget about getting an answer from me. Your riddles suck."

"No, the guy who gave you the sword, he told you there were others, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. How did you-?"

"They aren't here. He's supposed to give them to others like you, but..." He looked at the menu again, eyes rapidly scouring through, "they just aren't here. Why?"

"You mean the players or the weapons?"

"Both."

I stole a look at his menu, he's got some type of namelist opened, jumbled letters and inverted icons showed in my opposite end, but even to me, it was clear what happened. What's got him at a loss? Isn't it obvious where they went?

"They logged out obviously, who in their right mind wants this kind of responsibility?"

When I next saw his gaze, there was even more confusion swirling about, he looked at me as if I've gone mad.

'What?" I asked.

"What do you mean they logged out? They can't log out."

"No shit, sherlock. I wonder why that is? Look, they simply just logged out when they first got the weapon, before you went insane, that's what I did... ah man, wished I stayed now."

"Wait... you could... log out?"

"Are you being serious right now? Isn't that what you stopped me from doing in the first place?"

"I thought you didn't have a choice."

"You pinned me to the wall!"

'I thought you were going to teleport out."

"Teleport - what in the..." I stood up, utterly dumbfounded from his statements, "Just what the hell are you going on about, cause I swear to God, I'm one incy wincy step from going insane, and I've lost enough sanity as it is."

"I... this shouldn't be like this, it wasn't like this. Before it was..."

The fact that he looked just as clueless as I was, hell, maybe even more, didn't bode well at all. I thought he knew the underlying to this plight, the answer to this deadly enigma, he should know... yet the feeling of helplessness wasn't something you could fake. Unless he's actually a very good actor in which case, get him an Emmy.

Luckily, the disparity between our words became the catalyst to rouse him back to life. The instant I met his eyes once again, I knew he would finally talk, and talk he did. Halle-fucking-lujah.

"Okay, look," He said, heaving a breath, "This has happened before, alright? I only ever heard about it when they first brought me into the project, even then it was late during my time, I thought it was just a story, but it has happened before."

I rose an eyebrow, didn't even know I could raise an eyebrow. "You mean getting trapped in a virtual world? Yeah, it's from a show, pretty obscure, you probably haven't heard of it."

"Not that, I mean..." Another breath of air taken in, "Okay, since you know who I am, I'm gonna assume you've been keeping track of the game's development?"

'Like you assumed I couldn't leave the game? Sure, go ahead and assume. That worked out great last time."

I caught a hint of irritance, a twitch in his brow. I didn't care. I have the right to be ticked off, screw his feelings.

"Yeah, whatever... but you read about them, I'm sure. Game delayed for so long? Well, it's because of this exact scenario! Testers get trap, nobody knew why but they just do. Game wasn't finished back then, so they managed to get out. Bit of a panic, but no harm done. Nobody wanted another incident like that to happen so they scrap the entire thing. All gone. New engine, new team, new everything."

He started to walk. Probably as a way to discharge his agitation. Back and forth, like some lecturer in a seminar, rapid-firing sentences I could barely keep up with. Like he entered some sort of trance.

"Got the position once the former designer quit. Game was basically done by the time I joined, he didn't even want the credit. Didn't know why until later on, only found out on release day what really happened and... I'm not supposed to tell you... I can't say it. I am legally contractually obligated to keep my mouth shut but screw that though, public will find out soon enough and it won't matter anyway but still... still... still..."

The back and forth came to a halt with his feet faced towards me. An abrupt end to his rant had thinned his lips to a long sealed line. His eyes gazed everywhere else but mine. Clearly whatever he was going to say had his convictions faltering big time.

He wanted to speak, I knew he wanted to speak, he was going to speak. But he couldn't. Somebody else spoke for him.

Emerging from the distant dark depths of the dungeon corridor were words resounding from a familiar voice, bouncing across the walls of claustrophobia. Young, aloof and relaxed.

"Talking about me, are we? Wouldn't bother, I'm not exactly the most interesting guy in the world here."

There he stood. The same air, the same appearance, the same lofty attitude he exudes. He greeted with a smile, which meaning I do not know.

"I don't want to make myself out as one to suddenly and abruptly make surprise appearances, but ... as they do often say: 'Speak of the devil, and he shall appear'".

Though I was surprised, my irritation won the fight overall and I managed to respond.

"They also say 'He who speaks in proverbs, can go screw themselves', but hey, I'm not one to imply anything here."

"Sora, my man. I knew I could count on you. Glad to see you decided to stay." Sukuinote replied, never skipping a beat.

"Thank him," I said, pointing a finger at the culprit, who at this point looked ready to drop dead at any moment. "He basically did all your work for you."

Jin took a nearly tumbling step backwards, his eyes wide open like a deer in the headlights, shaking almost uncontrollably as if caught in an earthquake. Still, he managed to form words of his own though he stuttered between the syllables, vocalized it as meekly as a mouse and generally just barely being decipherable nevertheless, he managed.

"I-it's you... it's actually - it's actually you."

"Me indeed," Sukuinote replied, "the one and only."

"How did you... how'd you come back? They erased you. They got rid of you, they damn made sure of it!"

"Came back? That's a false statement if I ever heard one, I was never gone in the first place."

At the sound of that, the man that pinned me to the wall and tackled me to the ground not even an hour ago, had lost all composure, muttering to himself, frantically searching for assurance even if there wasn't one.

"But they said - they told me! You shouldn't be here. This shouldn't be happening, none of this should be happening! Why is this all happening?! Why to me?!"

"Did they also tell you to put the game on lockdown on the slimmest, most unlikely chance that I would ever show up again?" Sukuinote asked, amused as all hell.

'They did!" Jin said, practically yelling, "Procedure! It's procedure! Regardless of players, you have to be contained, you can't be let out no matter what. They said that."

"Yes, they said. Operating on assumptions they concluded to be true." He shook his head. "Ah man, trapping everyone here for the greater good just to keep me in. Wish I could say your decision was justified but it wasn't."

"Meaning what? What are you saying?" asked Jin, breathless in his inquiry.

Pieces of a puzzle I never even knew existed were being thrown left and right at a moment's notice. Each puzzle part as intricate as the other. All I could do was sit tight and crane my head at the two puzzle makers as they continue to spout the next piece of the puzzle for me to fit in place.

"What I'm saying Furukawa is that I never intended to leave this game in the first place."

"What? I... I don't understand. They said you wanted to escape, they said-"

"True. Used to be anyways. I guess I can't blame you for acting as you did. So many players on peak season, got plenty of rides just waiting for me to upload myself outta here. Better to just play it safe and remove the ability to log out altogether, right?"

Another shake of the head, this time in mockery and disappointment.

"They must have told you I'm more than just a simple-minded piece of faulty programming and algorithms right? They gotta think better of me than that. I mean, I'm just like any other human being. I got my needs and wants. Desires even. And just like any other human being, my needs and wants do change with time. Desires included."

"Then if you don't want to leave, what the hell do you want now?!" Jin spat, tempered in his state of helplessness, breath heavy with despair.

"You made a game, Jin." Sukuinote spoke, impassive to his turmoil, "I just want to play it."

A deafening clangor reverberated throughout the dungeon walls. Twice, thrice... like a bell atop a tower. Fierce vibrations rattled every particle within me, intensifying, upon each thunderous clang.

Groaning, Jin stumbled forward and lay sprawled on the violent twitches and jerks of his muscles were indicative of the agonizing sensation we were both victims too. No actions we took impeded its sway over us. Hands over ears, bodies curled into a ball. All that could be acknowledged was the merciless toll that seemed to never stop.

"What... what's happening...?" Jin said in a mustered breath, directed towards the one that remained unaffected.

"It's survival time, boys," said Sukuinote, rubbing his hands in glee, "Do your best."

The very second he uttered his words. The ringing stopped. The pain stopped. The concrete of the dungeon floor pressed roughly against my cheek became a patch of green, strands of grass crushed under burden.

I lifted my head, a moment of assessment. Many things, many mystifying things had transpired in a timespan I wasn't able to handle. I took a breath and blinked away the daze. Then I blinked again, as the daze resurfaced.

Pairs of legs as far as the eye could see across all directions. An amalgamation of voices filled the air, traces of confusion and surprise strewn throughout the dissonance. I finally got up and realized I was in a crowd. Actually, a crowd was an understatement, the number of people gathered ranged at least in the thousands.

The gleaming moonlight, the mountaintops beyond the night horizon and the gust of wind, all signs that I was no longer in the dungeon. But where was I? Jin too was no longer in sight, unperceivable among the hordes of people that were as disoriented as I.

But it did not take any longer to realize what was happening. It was time. This was merely the announcement, as per tradition.

Gather the players all in one place, let the confusion fester just long enough for a sense of unease to permeate. Then reveal yourself, and let the whole wide world know what you've done.

I guess he really wants this done by the book, doesn't he?

Any second now... he'll show up. Maybe in the sky with a booming voice.

Suddenly, a voice resounded through the air. "You're trapped. And I trapped you."

There he was. Hovering above us, towering over our bewildered heads, mild satisfaction laced with his expression, thoroughly content at the gradual fearful reactions that reflected back at him.

Then the outburst of emotions came. The shouts, the screams, exploding in a tidal wave of questions crashing into one another, rough, coarse, all inaudible raging amongst each other.

And Sukuinote revel in the ire of waves, his smile widening with every passing second, relishing in the ever increasing hysteria.

Yet despite the masses demanding answers, the worsening panic that needed quelling, entertaining such things does not seem to be on his to-do list at the moment.

"Good luck." was all that he left us with, before simply vanishing into dissipating fragments of polygons. No explanations to follow, no guidelines to heed. A flash of a smile and the equivalent of "best wishes" was all that was given to ponder with.

Seconds had elapsed. And no one moved an inch. Chatter and murmurs broke out gradually among the perplexed populace. Questions thrown around yet with no answer in sight.

I could hardly blame them. All the information they were given up to this point was just a cryptic announcement from Jin. Add this event to the list, and you got yourself a big massive group of confusion.

Among the crowd, among the whispers, was a moment so scarce I forgot it even existed. My palms found my face, and gently, I breathed into them. The virtual warmth of a virtual breath was a slight comfort and I felt the tension ooze away.

Course that was a lie. All it ended up accomplishing, further emboldened by the ever vocal panic within the vicinity, was a sense of complete and utter failure.

I took a breath. And heard someone wept. I took a breath. As nervous timid laughter battered my eardrums. I took a breath…

And the area exploded with sound.

All at once, every single person's menu screen chimed open, displaying within its contents, as it was for everyone, was a single text box.

Through the slits of my fingers, I read the white-translucent plaque in silence.

**-Medieval Centuries Online has received an update and requires a restart. Restart will occur in ten seconds. We hope you will continue to enjoy your experience with Medieval Centuries Online-**

**-Good Luck. Have Fun. Don't Die.-**

It took me five seconds to read that. The remaining five seconds before my legs gave out, before blackness consumed my vision, were filled with cries and anguish that seemed to never end.

I felt the sensation of grass once more. Heard the "thud" as a thousand others did the same.

And when we next woke, things only just managed to get worse.

* * *

_**-Medieval Centuries Online-**_

_**Patch 1.1.0 (26/3/2026)**_

* * *

_**General Updates**_

**_-Logout function has been removed._**

**_-All player levels has been scaled back down to level 1_**

**_-Floors 2 and above has been reverted to their default state of being locked_**

**_-Increase damage taken by enemy mobs by 50%_**

**_-Increase price rates of items and weapons for every vendor, blacksmith, etc_**

**_-Decrease chances of rare loot from enemy drops by 66%_**

**_-Added real time player count in the skybox of every floor to keep track of players remaining_**

**_-Removed options to screenshot, record, stream from the menu screen._**

**_-Removed respawn mechanic_**

* * *

_**Bug Fixes**_

_**-Fixed duplication exploit of weapons**_

_**-Fixed shield-launching exploit**_

_**-Fixed infinite gold exploit**_

_**-Fixed a bug that enabled infinite health while drinking a health potion and teleporting**_

_**-Fixed an issue that prevented the party leader from seeing party members HP**_

* * *

**Real-Life Updates**

**_-A nationwide emergency recall of every headgear produced_**

**_-Thirteen recorded deaths of players from outside forces attempting to eject players from the game_**

**_-A government warning issued to all civilians to not tamper with the headgears of players in-game_**

**_-It's just us in our own little world now_**

**_-Do try to enjoy yourself here_**

**_-Okay?_**


End file.
